Experience the lessons of Hula through our workshops with our celebrated Judges or learn about Kinolau and Hula regalia during our free lectures by Hokulani Holt Padilla and Dr. Pualani Kanahele. Before heading to watch our nightly competition make sure to take a memory home from our Made In Hawaii marketplace.

While engaging all of your senses we continue with our mission of enriching the practice and development of Hula and its associated arts.

Hawaiʻi Island artist, dancer, cultural practitioner and clothing designer Sig Zane delivers the keynote address at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo fall commencement on Saturday, December 21 at 9 a.m. in the UH Hilo New Gym.

The Zane Family celebrates Kuhao Zane’s Na Hoku Hanohano Award presented by the Na Hoku Festival for Best Graphics

Students have petitioned for a total of 262 degrees and/or certificates from the colleges of Arts and Sciences (174), Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (19), Business and Economics (21), and Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikolani College of Hawaiian Language (18), while 30 others are candidates for various post-graduate honors.

Zane, an O`ahu native, moved to Hilo in the mid-1970s in search of an unhurried life and to study the Hawaiian culture. He joined Hilo’s Halau O Kekuhi in 1981, and immersed himself in the art of hula under the direction of Edith Kanaka`ole along with her daughters Pua Kanahele and Nalani Kanaka`ole, who he would later marry. Through hula, Zane developed a deep understanding of the relationship between native plants and the Hawaiian culture.

He opened Sig Zane Designs in Downtown Hilo over 25 years ago, featuring a line of aloha shirts, dresses, bags and tees with popular motifs that reflect native Hawaiian culture, heritage and practices. Zane, Nalani, and their son, Kuhaoimaikalani, have been working together for more than a decade on special projects which combine their unique designs with fundamentals rooted in culture and place. They have produced iconic images for jewelry, hotel rooms and airplanes, and most recently created the traditional bamboo stamp design ohe kapala for Hawaiian Electric Incorporated.

Amanda O’Farrell, a Hawaiian studies major, is student speaker. O’Farrell was born in Hilo, raised in Puna, and graduated from the Kamehameha Schools Kea`au campus. She has maintained a 3.6 GPA at UH Hilo and made the Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikolani Dean’s List four times.

O’Farrell has been an active participant in numerous cultural and environmental initiatives throughout the island, taking part in invasive species removal around Hale Pohaku on Mauna Kea, collecting native species seeds at Hualalai, and participating in a heiau clean-up in Keaukaha. Her immediate post-graduate plans are to care for her two young children, but hopes to return within two years to pursue a masters degree in ethnobotany/ethnomedicine. Her dream is to be a traditional Hawaiian healer, practicing the art of la`au lapa`au and lomilomi. She also expressed interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in traditional medicine or public health.

The Hawaiian Electric Companies today introduced a new logo that represents the companies’ roots in the islands as well as their commitment to developing a better energy future for Hawaii.

“We’re proud of our long history of service to our islands. At the same time, we know we need to continue to change and do better,” said Dick Rosenblum, Hawaiian Electric president and CEO. “We’re working hard to lower bills for our customers, improve our service, and develop more low-cost clean energy. The logo is a symbol of those commitments.”

Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light Company have initiated ambitious projects to deliver on these commitments. Some of the latest actions include:

Pursuing, with Public Utilities Commission approval, five new low-cost renewable energy projects on Oahu – including four solar farms and one wind farm – with a combined capacity of 64 megawatts

Making it easier, faster, and cheaper for customers to install photovoltaic projects (as of August 2013, there were more than 34,000 installed PV systems across the companies’ service territories with a combined capacity of approximately 250 megawatts)

Planning the deactivation of older, less efficient utility generating units on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island for a combined 226 megawatts – about 14 percent of generation owned by the utilities

In the coming weeks, the companies will be announcing more projects to lower bills, improve service and develop more low-cost renewable energy.

“With oil prices driving up electric bills, we know how tough it is for our customers. Through projects like these, we’re working to bring customers some relief,” Rosenblum said. “This won’t happen overnight, but these are steps to help get us there.”

An estimated 18 percent of the electricity currently used by customers on Oahu and Hawaii Island and in Maui County comes from renewable resources, already ahead of the state’s goal of 15 percent by 2015. So far this year, this use of clean energy has saved customers an estimated $243 million by reducing oil use by 1.9 million barrels.

The new logo was developed by respected designer Sig Zane of Hilo and combines traditional Hawaiian design elements with a modern look. Zane worked on the design with his wife, cultural expert Nalani Kanakaole, and their son Kuhao. They drew upon Hawaiian Electric’s 122-year history for their inspiration.

“From the very beginning, when King Kalakaua pioneered electricity at Iolani Palace and chartered Hawaiian Electric, the company has played a key role in Hawaii’s growth. We wanted to create a design that captures that history and reflects the way the company connects our communities,” Zane said.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/o0sgP0KaQiw]

Our New Logo:
A Symbol of Where We’ve Been, Who We Are, and Where We’re Going

AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN TIME

At Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light Company, we’re proud of our long history of service to our communities. But we know it’s not enough for us just to look back. Looking forward, we know we can and need to do better. At the top of our priority list:

Lowering bills for our customers

Improving service

Developing more low-cost clean energy

As we reaffirm our responsibility to our customers and communities, we’ve introduced a new logo – one that represents our deep roots in these islands as well as our commitment to creating a better energy future for Hawaii.

A REFLECTION OF OUR HERITAGE

The new logo was developed by respected Hilo designer Sig Zane and combines traditional Hawaiian design elements with a modern look. Zane worked on the design with his wife, cultural expert Nalani Kanakaole, and their son Kuhao. They drew upon Hawaiian Electric’s 122-year history for their inspiration.

“From the very beginning, when King Kalakaua pioneered electricity at Iolani Palace and chartered Hawaiian Electric, the company has played a key role in Hawaii’s growth,” Zane said. “We wanted to create a design that captures that history and reflects the way the company connects our communities.”

While the logo is an important symbol of our commitments, we know that, in the end, our actions will speak the loudest. So each and every day, we’re working hard to live up to what our logo represents. And we look forward to working with you, our customers and communities to achieve a clean energy future for Hawaii.

In the coming months, customers will begin to see the logo on company websites, signs, vehicles, uniforms, ID badges, and mailings. To save on costs, the logo will be phased in gradually through the normal course of business. For example, existing inventories of materials will be used up before replacement items that carry the new logo are ordered.

Winners of the 7th Annual Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival were announced Saturday night to an enthusiastic crowd at Waikoloa Bowl in Queens’ Gardens. Awards were presented to Makua Solo, Wahine Solo and Wahine Hālau, after three nights of competition in ancient Kahiko and modern ‘Auana divisions. (Kupuna Hālau and Solo winners were announced on Friday).

Sig Zane, Mary Jane Kamoku, Nalani Kanakaole and Kumu Alberta Nicolas

The top-scoring Wahine Hālau was Hui Hula Naleikalākupua (1,102 points) from Japan, under the direction of Kumu Hula Yukiko Hanayama. In second place was Hawai‘i Island’s own Beamer-Solomon Hālau O Po‘ohala (1,089 points), Kumu Hula Hulali Solomon Covington. Covington’s niece, Leiomalama Solomon, won the Wahine Solo title; she performed “Kimo Hula,” composed by her great-great-grandmother Helen Desha Beamer, for the ‘auana selection.

Fourteen hālau—seven from Japan, six from Hawaii and one from Mexico—competed in the three-night event, which also featured Hawaiian cultural workshops and Made-in-Hawai‘i Marketplace during the day at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort and Spa.

The Moku O Keawe International Festival is sponsored by the Moku O Keawe Foundation, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing, enriching and educating the practice and development of hula and its associated arts. Sponsors include Waikoloa Beach Resort, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority/County of Hawai‘i CPEP Program and others. For information and tickets to events, visit www.MOKIF.com/updates.

The 7th Annual Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival, November 1-3, 2012 at Waikoloa Beach Resort, offers something special for everyone who loves Hawaiian culture. Along with the Festival’s three nights of exciting international hula competition at Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens, is an extensive Made-in-Hawai‘i Marketplace at Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.

Moku O Keawe also promotes cultural education through a series of hands-on workshops in hula kahiko and ‘auwana, chant, cordage, ipu-making and more. One of Hawaii’s most distinctive hula events, Moku O Keawe is an educational, entertaining and engaging experience for visitors and residents to enjoy on many levels.

Cultural Workshops. The hula competition judges—Nalani Kanaka‘ole, Ed Collier, Iwalani Kalima, Nalei Napaepae-Kunewa–are asked to share their knowledge through workshops. As masters, their insights and experiences are offered on a personal basis, allowing participants an opportunity to learn about hula kahiko and hula ‘auwana, as the various lineages of the kumu hula are unique forms in style, repertoire, and interpretation. Registration is limited and students are urged to register early by visiting www.MOKIF.com.

Hawai‘i Marketplace, Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. The Made-In-Hawai‘i Marketplace features a wide variety of some of the best products from 35 Island of Hawai‘i vendors, including Hula implements, fresh lei, silk-screened clothing, woven lauhala hats and purses and jewelry.

“A plethora of knowledge of Hula – both ‘auwana and kahiko – has been shared via Moku O Keawe International Festival,” said designer Kuha‘o Zane. “Implements, costuming, chants, a sense of place, and most importantly, we share our unique perspective of Hawaiian thought. We remember all who have brought us to this point and have firmly planted the pillars of knowledge for the next generation to build upon.”

“Much like the light rain that falls on to the ʻōhiʻa, gathering within the tips of the lehua blossoms, and dripping down to nourish the tap root—this year’s design embodies the process of our lehua, gathering the moisture that will promote proper growth by nourishing the taproot. We flourish,” he said.

The Moku O Keawe International Festival is sponsored by the Moku O Keawe Foundation, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing, enriching and educating the practice and development of hula and its associated arts. For information and tickets to events, visit www.MOKIF.com

The 35th Annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards Show presented by the Hawaii Academy of Recording Artists was held last night at the Hawaii Convention Center to a sold out ballroom and broadcast live state-wide on KFVE. Big Islands Mayor, Billy Kenoi, even got into the action and presented an award.

Kuhao, Nalani and Sig Zane at the 2010 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards after Kuhao won for Best Graphics for an Album Cover

This program will highlight the unique and beloved approach of that the Zane Family brings to their creative work as cultural practitioners, designers of contemporary aloha attire. It is an approach that truly rooted in Hawai‘i.

The inspiration for the exhibition title and concept, “ITO,” comes from the idea of “Interisland Living.” Of this, Sig says, “Hilo to Kaunakakai, between Lihu‘e to Hana, or going to Lana‘i and then to Honolulu, each unique locale offers its own stamp in your passport of memories. Traversing between islands are a distinct part of Hawaiian life as in the past and especially today.” Son, Kuha‘o adds, “ITO is our point of origin! Home base, return to sender, the three-letter cluster that ends a mirage of airport codes on our return flight. ITO is the code, representing our “Point A”- Hilo, Hawaii.”

This exhibition will feature installations by each member of the Zane ‘Ohana. All three will be leading talks and discussions about both their individual and collaborative creative work. A pop-up shop of Sig Zane Designs will run concurrently, and will debut a new, limited-edition line for the occasion.

State Senator Brickwood Galuteria and Kuhao Zane share a moment at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards

Media Release:

The Moku O Keawe Foundation is pleased to announce that Advisory Board Member Kuha’o Zane has won the 2010 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Graphics, for his work on the album “Polinahe,” by Lorna Lim (Palm Records). The title track from Lim’s CD also won Song of the Year, at the Awards presentation by the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts in Honolulu Sunday, May 31.

Zane, 28, is the son of acclaimed Hawaii designer Sig Zane and Kumu Hula Nalani Kanaka’ole, who are also Advisory Board members. He and his parents helped establish and actively support the Moku O Keawe Hula Festival, which takes place annually in November at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. Already an accomplished dancer and designer, the new Hōkū-winner runs two companies of his own: Ethnic Creative and The Cutlery in Hilo.

The Moku O Keawe International Festival is sponsored by the Moku O Keawe Foundation. As a private nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing, enriching and educating the practice and development of hula and its associated arts, its focus is to build, strengthen and inspire the living cultural traditions of Hawaii.

…Mr. Zane opened his first store in 1985. With its emphasis on Hawaiian design elements, this shop on Kamehameha Avenue is, in its way, the cultural epicenter of Hawaii’s retail world. Dramatic new prints of plants important to the Hawaiians appear in pareus, or Polynesian sarongs. They also show up in aloha shirts, dresses, handbags and even baseball caps…

…Mr. Zane’s background reflects his affinity with Hawaiian culture. He is an accomplished hula dancer, known as a kuma hula, as well as designer. His wife, Nalani Kanakaole, is one of the most revered hula masters in the world. And their son, Kuhao, a vital force in the family business, represents the urban-chic element of a family otherwise rooted in tradition…

I stopped by Sig Zane Designs today to pick-up a “crisp” aloha shirt for this function I will be attending soon, and it turns out I showed up at the right time.

I knew that it would probably be busy in there being the Friday before Merrie Monarch, but I was relatively relieved that it wasn’t overwhelmingly packed.

I’ve mentioned long before they became a sponsor of this blog about how much I dig their clothes.

I finally had a chance to take some pictures of the place that I like to share:

Everything about this place is top notch

The second you walk in the door, you know you are in a special place as it’s just got this warm vibe about it.

Even the front door is beautiful

They have lots of different things in stock.

Womens attire and accessories

I wish I had the money to buy something like this little set-up:

Sweet dreams!

I commented to Kuhao Zane that their dressing rooms were so nice… that someone could live in them.

The most beautiful dressing rooms in all of Hawaii

I told Kuhao that I wanted everything in the store… and if you read this Kuhao… I wasn’t joking and if I could afford it… I swear I’d have one of every of your shirts.

I wish this was my closet!

As I was purchasing the shirts for my family, Kuhao mentioned that this week only, while supplies last, they are giving away free bags with the purchase of Aloha Attire due to the fact that it’s Merrie Monarch week in town.